"I appreciate the generous support IAPAC has given to my campaign. IAPAC is an effective organization that does a terrific job of building relationships with elected officials and educating them about the issues of importance to the Iranian American community. I am proud to say that New York State is home to a vibrant, diverse, and successful community of such individuals."

Charles E. Schumer is currently the senior U.S. Senator from the state of New York, serving since 1999. In November 2006, he was elected to the new post of Vice Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. In this position, he is the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate. Schumer has also served as the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Schumer is on the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees.

Schumer is a strong proponent of rational visa policies and immigrant rights. He is a co-sponsor of the Dream Act (S.729), which seeks to provide qualified undocumented high school students the opportunity to earn permanent residency. In 2003, Schumer chaired a series of meetings between representatives from the Department of State and Department of Justice to discuss non-immigrant visa policy issues, including the implementation of Section 306 of the Enhanced Border Security & Visa Enter Reform Act. The Act contemplated a ban on the issuance of all non-immigrant visas to residents or nationals of the seven countries that appear on the Department of State's list of state sponsors of international terrorism - including Iran. Schumer summed up his concerns in an official press release by stating that "we do not want our non-immigrant visa policy to impose an undue hardship on American citizens, including Iranian Americans, many of whom have made and continue to make outstanding contributions to the economic and social life of our country."

On November 14, 2009, Schumer made a surprise appearance at the sold-out “Iranian Sounds of Peace” concert featuring Hafez and Shahram Nazeri at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall. In a short speech given during intermission, Schumer took the opportunity to once again thank Iranian Americans for their contributions to American society and underscored the solidarity between the peoples of Iran and America.